The Photographer's Career Guide to Shooting Production Stills for Film and Television

Jace Downs

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000543865
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Arte
• Subtopic: Tecniche fotografiche

Based on the author's real-world experience, this book provides a comprehensive guide on how to develop a professional career and client base as a unit stills photographer in the entertainment industry.

Industry veteran Jace Downs takes readers behind the scenes as he explores production from the perspective of a unit stills photographer. Honest and entertaining, chapters cover the production environment, set etiquette, equipment, dealing with difficult talent, shooting on set, developing a client base, joining the union and much more.

Accessible to those within and outside of the entertainment industry, this book is ideal for intermediate level photographers looking to expand their skillset and client base, as well as for aspiring photographers who would like more insight into photography work in entertainment production.

Part I
Introduction to Unit Photography

Chapter 1 What Is Unit Photography?

DOI: 10.4324/9781003183129-3

A unit production stills photographer for film, television, and sometimes music videos and commercials is also commonly called a unit photographer, stills photographer, or simply “stills.” The name “stills” is most frequently used on film and television sets. Such as, “Where’s stills?” or, “Stills, get out of the way!” or “Thank you stills,” which is a nice way of saying get the hell off the set! Photographs are referred to as stills in the motion picture industry because footage the production shoots is referred to as principal photography. The term “stills” allows production to differentiate between filming and photography. Personally, I think the term “unit production stills photographer” is a bit cumbersome, but using simply “stills” to refer to the unit production stills photographer can be vague, so throughout this book I’ll use the terms unit photographer and unit photography for consistency and clarity. In later chapters, we’ll explore the unit photographer’s tasks and how they’re accomplished in more depth, but let’s start with a broad overview of what a unit photographer typically does on set.

Though the unit photographer can do a variety of photography-related jobs for film and television production, the most common is to take photos on set during the production of a film or television show for the purposes of marketing and publicity. This is frequently lumped under the terms unit coverage, production stills, or publicity stills. In a way, you can think of a unit photographer as an event photographer who documents the production of a television show or movie and whose photos are used to market or publicize the show. These photos can be broken down into two main categories: scene coverage and behind the scenes (BTS) photos.

Scene coverage, commonly called episodic coverage in television, is photography of exactly what production is filming without crew or equipment in the shot but with a few more variations on crop size, angle, exposure, etc., to provide more variety and flexibility for marketing and publicity purposes. You might be asking why marketing and publicity doesn’t just use still frame captures from the motion camera for this? Sometimes they do. This is becoming more common as digital motion cameras improve in resolution from HD to 4k to 8k and beyond. But usually they don’t because the images produced from motion frame grabs often aren’t crisp enough for print publication due to the motion blur necessary for frame blending.

Another reason unit photographers capture production stills for publicity and marketing is that the unit photographer can sometimes provide faster image delivery. Production has a standard workflow that enables them to create shows in an efficient manner. Any additional work, such as producing images (frame grabs) for marketing and publicity, results in additional production costs. Even if production were to deliver raw footage for marketing and publicity, the footage often needs to go through various levels of post-production grading and editing before it can be released to the public, not to mention the time-consuming task of trying to select the perfect frame. The unit photographer simplifies the process of gathering image assets for marketing and publicity by producing and quickly delivering high-quality images, which saves time and expense.

But probably one of the biggest reason unit photographers are hired is, in addition to scene coverage, they also produce BTS photos for marketing and publicity. Broadly, BTS photos document the making of the production and are primarily composed of shots of important people, such as directors, producers, celebrity guests, etc., interacting with the cast members, or stars, of the show during the production process. BTS can also include shots of high production value setups such as big stunts and complex production equipment in use (large cranes, high-performance camera vehicles, heavy lift camera drones, etc.) that fans may find interesting. In addition to candid BTS photos, unit photographers frequently take posed on set portraits of cast, directors, studio executives, and guests for marketing and publicity as well as capturing other media assets.

In addition to shooting for marketing and publicity, unit photographers shoot prop-stills for production, which are simply photos used as props or set dressing, and camera tests, which are for testing actor hair, makeup and costumes on camera. They may also shoot specials and galleries for advertising key art, which are stand-alone photo productions for advertising campaigns, and they sometimes shoot product and lifestyle for commercial advertising.

We’ll delve deeper into what these shots are and how to get them later in this book. But first, let’s look at how production stills are commonly used.

Chapter 2 How Production Stills Are Used

DOI: 10.4324/9781003183129-4

Production stills for marketing and publicity can be found in entertainment publications such as TV Guide, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, the entertainment section of major newspapers, many online outlets such as IMDb and other entertainment news websites, webzines, blogs and social media. I’ve found my shots in the entertainment sections of major newspapers like the LA Times and NY Times, along with other periodicals like TV Guide. In other words, these images get plastered everywhere to keep the insatiable fans enticed and engaged in whatever entertainment is being produced for their consumption. Production stills are also used to sell packages to distributors and international entertainment markets, and may be used in “making of” compilations and galleries usually found on websites and in the DVD “extras.” Documentaries sometimes use production stills as well in exposé on celebrities and similar stories.

Though marketing departments usually organize separate shoots with commercial photographers (known as galleries) to create images for advertising key art (posters, billboards, DVD covers, eCommerce thumbnails, product labels, etc.), sometimes they use production stills shot by unit photographers for this purpose, or as part of key art composite images. For example, a commercial photographer may shoot studio portraits on a neutral background of a show’s lead characters for a poster, but the final composited poster art might include a background image of a key location shot by a unit photographer during production. However, some key art is composed entirely of production stills.

If production hires a unit photographer to take prop stills, then the unit photographer’s images will be used as props. Now don’t get confused here. When I say this, most people immediately think these are photos of props for some kind of documentation, publicity graphics, or merchandizing, which unit photographers sometimes take too! I did this for the prop weapons used on The Walking Dead so they could make toys and graphics based on the weapons. But prop stills are generally photos used as physical or visual props by actors or images used for set dressing. For example, let’s say a crime scene is called for in the script, and production needs crime scene photos for the actors to use as props during a later scene. Production would then hire a unit photographer to take photos of the crime scene that can then be printed so the actors can use the photos as physical props in their scene, or loaded onto a computer or phone that the actor then uses during the scene to review the crime scene photos. Another example would be prop stills used for set dressing. A good example of this is the family portrait or vacation photos you might see on the fireplace mantle or bookshelf as the camera pans through a character’s home. I’ve literally taken hundreds of different prop stills such as ID photos, vacation photos, wedding photos, Facebook photos, yearbook photos, surveillance photos—literally any kind of photo can be a prop still if it’s called for in the script. They can even be used as photo montages, such as the closing credits in the 2009 film The Hangover.

Finally, unit photographers frequently shoot camera tests as well. Production uses these photos to determine if the characters’ wardrobe, makeup, hair, etc., are what the creator’s envision and ensure they look good on camera. These photos are shared with the show’s producers or director to get approval for the character looks before they’re established in the show.

Chapter 3 Why Unit Photography Is a Great Job

DOI: 10.4324/9781003183129-5

Food. You think I jest. In a way I do, but the food is great. On most productions you get at least two catered meals per day (usually breakfast and lunch), excellent mid-morning and post-lunch snacks from the craft services department (“crafty”), not to mention the crafty area, which is stocked with so many different snack foods that it reminds me of walking into a convenience store. Sometimes crafty will even provide a “second meal,” which is a late-night meal if production goes long. On top of all that, directors, producers, and actors frequently spring for coffee carts and specialty food trucks that have all kinds of gourmet snacks and beverages like ice cream sandwiches, chicken and waffles, crepes, donuts, burgers, poki bowls, and more, all in thanks for the hard work and long hours crew puts in on set. So the food alone makes working on film and television productions a pretty nice job. What jobs other than high-pressure tech startups that work you 80+ hours per week give you free food? … I suppose production hours can be pretty grueling too so maybe food and long hours just go hand in hand. But before you get too excited, not all productions are so well stocked. I’ve worked on many where the food is downright terrible.

Seriously, other than food, what makes unit photography a great job? Well, to begin with, you get to take photos for a living as a working photographer. A lot of photographers dream of the opportunity to be working consistently. I know before I got into unit photography, I was one of those photographers who was doing what I loved but was just scraping by. I had to work other odd jobs to stay afloat and meet my financial goals. Though the per-hour or day rate for unit photography may be arguably lower than other photography work, once you build your client base, the work can be pretty consistent, so you’ll be working a lot more often than most other photographers.

You also get to be your own boss. Sure, you have to answer to your clients at the networks or studios, or producer, who may give you shot lists and have special requests, but for the most part, once you’re on set, you’re typically self-directed. You don’t have a boss on set looking over your shoulder, making sure you’re doing your job. Sometimes you’ll be paired up with publicists who ask you to get particular shots, but having them on set to help make introductions and coordinate shots is extremely helpful. How you conduct yourself on set and the quality of your shots will determine if you get called to work again.

In the US and Canada, unit photography work is also mostly on union sets. This not only means you know roughly how much you’ll make based on contractually fixed minimum rates, but once you meet the annual hours required for benefits you get free health care, pension, and much more. The union negotiates a pretty good basic hourly rate with healthcare, pension, overtime, meal penalties, holiday pay, and other perks like lodging, travel and per diem if you work as a distant hire. I don’t think any other freelance photography position offers these kinds of benefits.

Speaking of freelance, you can carve out time whenever you like. You just let your clients know when you are and aren’t available to work. Of course, you don’t get paid for taking time off, and it’s good to be consistently available for your clients to build a good rapport, but being freelance gives you a flexible schedule for holidays, family, travel, and other interests, like visits to the dentist. And, though this is changing with the advent of streaming media, the film and television industries usually have a winter hiatus, which is two weeks of downtime around the Christmas holidays, and a summer hiatus, which is downtime in mid-summer around the 4th of July holiday, so you can plan real vacations during the slow season without worrying about missing too much work.

You also get a “box” or “kit” rental rate for your photography equipment and you can charge an additional rental if you use your own lights or backdrop. Camera technology changes quickly so it’s important to be able to upgrade your system to remain competitive. A kit rental enables you to do this. The kit rental for photography equipment is relatively small (not unlike the basic hourly rate unit photographers make relative to other photographers), but is easily made up for in volume. It’s negotiable but the standard kit rental is usually between $200–300 per day. If you work full time, then you can recoup the cost of the average professional level camera body within a month of work. Thankfully equipment isn’t changing quicker than that, which means any additional rental income is pure profit until you need to repair or upgrade your cameras.

Another fun benefit is you get to experience how shows are made down to the finest detail because you are literally working in the eye of the storm. So, if you’re a film and television fan, you get an in-depth look at production, and you get to meet celebrities. Sure, you must remain professional and cannot act like a crazy fan, but if you have good social skills, you might be able to strike up a few memorable conversations with celebrities. Who knows, a celebrity might like you enough to request you for future productions. Some unit photographers have built entire careers and traveled the world by becoming a celebrity’s photographer request. With star power behind them, these photographers can negotiate higher than union base rates and other benefits. People want to work with those they know and like. Celebrities are just people too, some nice, some not so nice, but it’s a great perk to be able to make friends in those circles.

I hate to mention this because I don’t think it’s a very important benefit, but I’ve also found working in film and television offers a certain level of perceived prestige among “civilians” (those who don’t work in production). Since you work with celebrities in the entertainment biz, people often think you have an exciting and glamorous career. Granted, it’s probably a lot more interesting than your average job, but working in production is not all that glamorous. But, if you’re someone who enjoys feeling special among your peers who hold your average garden-variety mundane jobs, then maybe you’ll find this to be a perk as well.

However, working in many different interesting places with interesting people can definitely be a perk. Yes, you spend a lot of time on dark sounds stages, but the sets are often incredible works of art. Aside from sound stages and backlots, you also get to work on location in many spectacular places that you might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit, like airplane graveyards, spooky dilapidated buildings, luxury hotels, national parks, boats, etc. I’ve worked in environments ranging from abandoned mental hospitals and seedy strip clubs to five-star resorts, picturesque swamps to tropical beaches, distilleries to junkyards, at airports and inside of military helicopters, aircraft carriers, cargo planes, and tanks. You name it, production has shot it. Some unit photographers frequently travel the world for shoots. If you like a job where you get to work in a lot of different places and environments, then working in production can be very gratifying. You’ll also meet people from all different walks of life on production crews, each with his or her own unique stories and specialties. Outside of production folks, I’ve also had interesting conversations on set with animatronics engineers, lion trainers, chefs, pilots, musicians, paratroopers, billionaires, the list goes on. As a unit photographer you’re definitely not chained behind a desk in some boring office environment for eight hours a day.

Hanging out with cast and crew at the wrap parties with open bars and tasty never-ending hours d’oeuvres can be a lot of fun as well. I remember one wrap party where production sprung for an open bar, live band, palm reader, and a cigar roller who would roll fresh cigars for everyone from tobacco leaves (the producer really liked Cuban cigars). Wrap parties are a safe environment for the cast and crew to let loose and decompress. Close bonds form during the long hours and other common adversities the crew faces together during production and wrap parties provide a kind of closure to the project. Many long term friendships (and future employment) has been solidified at wrap parties when people can get to know each other outside of the often tiresome, grueling, high-pressure work environment of production.

In all, unit photography can be a very interesting job with many benefits, but it’s important to keep it all in perspective. To balance things, I’ll go over some of the not so nice things about working as a unit photographer in the production environment.

Chapter 4 So What’s the Catch?

DOI: 10.4324/9781003183129-6

Before you get too excited about all the perks I described in the previous chapter, let me temper that excitement a bit to keep those expectations in check. Remember, it isn’t like this all the time, and I’m not trying to deter anyone from pursuing a career in unit photography, but these things happen often enough to make many people leave film and television production altogether (much of this applies to all production jobs, not just unit photography).

First, “set life” is most definitely a lifestyle choice, which isn’t for everyone. If you haven’t already experienced it, get ready for a shock. It’s nowhere near as exciting or glamorous as “civilians” think it is. Sure, when you tell your friends you work on a hit show, they might be impressed and imagine you hanging out with celebrities, but production is precisely just that, production. Think of a factory pumping out entertainment products at a breakneck pace. Crewmembers are simply cogs in that machine, workers on the assembly line. Even the cast, though often treated with much more courtesy and respect than the crew, must endure many of the same grueling rigors of production. The production pace results in long hours and a lot of on-set tension. Obviously, we’re not c...